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While the San Francisco 49ers clearly aren't where they want to be at the moment, as a string of injuries have limited their ceiling, one bright spot of the 2024 NFL season so far has been the ability to evaluate young players against live action, with some shining and others looking not quite ready for prime time.
One such player who falls into the former category is Malik Mustapha, the pride of Wake Forrest, who has been thrust into action due to injuries to Talanoa Hufunga. Ranking second on the team in defensive snaps behind Ji'Ayir Brown at the safety spot, Mustapha has been on the field for 51 percent of the 49ers defensive snaps – plus 61 special teams snaps – and has caught the attention of the coaching staff, including Kyle Shanahan, his head coach.
Asked about Mustapha's performances so far this season during his Tuesday media session, Shanahan celebrated his performances, noting that he's proud of his communication most of all.
“I think communication is one of the hardest things, especially for a young guy coming in. I think he’s been getting better at that the more he’s been out there. I think, just his lack of not hesitating,” Shanahan noted. “I think you guys saw that a little in preseason, just with some of the hits he had. Especially, you saw a couple in that Tennessee game, from what I remember. And when he’s come in, he’s done the same stuff. I think he gets faster each week, just recognizing things and not breaking down and trying to run through his tackles.”
While Shanahan's comments certainly hold weight with Mustapha, he wasn't the only 49ers coach who had some nice things to say about the fourth-round pick out of Wake Forrest, as his defensive coordinator, Nick Sorensen, has had some nice things to say about his on-field play.
The 49ers' DC likes what he's seen from Malik Mustapha too
Using some of his own media time to celebrate Mustapha's play, Sorensen highlighted the positives he's seen from his free safety and why he will likely continue to play when the 49ers are back to full strength.
“I think his strides have come just because he has played a lot. I mean, we’ve had a lot of guys play and I think it’s good that guys gain knowledge through getting their snaps. And for him, it’s just being comfortable being out there. I think I’ve mentioned before, like with safeties, it’s that comfort to communicate and the feel of the game and the flow of the game and how it moves and how you have to be a leader back there behind our backers that you can communicate across the board and be tied in. And I think he’s done a good job with that.”
Currently slotted in as the 49ers' safety number three, Mustapha has played well enough against both the pass and the run to justify playing time moving forward in defensive sub-packages. While the 49ers may eventually have to pick who they plan to start moving forward, if they have three starting-caliber performers at the position, that is a good problem to have.
